Cotton-tramper



E. MUNGER.

COTTON TRAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4,' 1919.

Patented May25,

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C] "eine i,

E. MUNGER.

COTTON TRAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. I9I9..

Patented May 25, .1.920.l f

Gueux,

E. MUNGER.

COTTON TRAMPEH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. 1919.

1,340,971. Patented May 25,192@

I I 1 a SHEETS-SHEET@l 'El A j? UNITEDSTATES PATENT FFICE.

EUGENE MUNGER, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL GIN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELRE,V

COTTONeTR-ATVIPER.

To all whom z5 may concern Be it known that l, EUGENE MUNGER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Trampers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in trampers or presses for baling cotton or like materials.

My invention relates more particularly to the type of trampers or presses wherein the platen is driven continuously from any suitable power drive, such for instance as an endless chain, and in which the movement of the platen serves automatically to start and stop a feed means for delivering and distributing the cotton or like material from the lint slide or feed chute into the press boX.

One object of my invention is to simplify and perfect a novel type of feed means for feeding the material into the press box in such manner as to effect a uniform distribution thereof in the press box quickly and without breaking or injuring the bat of the cotton or material. To this end l utilize revolving spaced feed rollers having longi tudinal blades designed, adapted and suitably driven by the rollers to throw the cotton that has accumulated in, or is being fed through the feed chute .into the press box so that it will be properly distributed thereover to produce layers of substantially uniform density when pressed.

A further object of my invention is to simplify and perfect the platen controlled means for automatically starting and stopping the drive of the feed mechanism.

A still further object of my invention is to perfect a novel brake means to arrest and hold the platen when its driving belt is shifted to the loose pulley and to this end l have designed a brake means adapted to cooperate with the tight drivingfpulley as a brake drum, and which, if desired, can be operated by or with the belt shifting means employed to shift the driving belt from the tight to the loose pulley.

fMy invention also involves the novel de tails of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which z# Figure l illustrates in front elevation my Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed March 4, 1919. Serial No. 280,651.

improved tramper and its driving and feeding mechanisms, the view being partly broken away where necessary to more clearly illustrate the more salient feature of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of F ig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the counter-weighted platen actuated means for starting and stopping the feed drive.

Fig. s is an enlarged detail side elevation of the braking appliance cooperating on the fast driving pulley as a. brake drum.

Fig. 5 is a `detail plan view of thefbelt and brake shifting appliances.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the driving mechanism for the platen, the operating chains being shown in sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. l.

F i g. is aY sectional view through the feed chute showing the feed rollers in end elevation and illustrating the distribution of the cotton in the press box.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with the chute broke-n away to show the drive for the feed rolls. l v

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

have illustrated my invention as embodied in a cotton tramper, the cotton from the condenser l being delivered to the lint slice 2 and passing therethrough into a bootlike feed chute 3 and thence into the press box. rlhe chute 3 is closed overhead by the top l of the lint slide and has a front opening extending in a vertical plane from the Y will be fed from this chute 3 into the press boi; 5 of any suitable type of press, that shown being a revolving double boX press. Above one press box is disposed the platen timbers 6 which are suitably supported by uprights (not shown) in any practicable manner, and above the othery press boX to be packed with cotton is a pair of tramperjsills 7 supported at one end by blocks 8 resting on the timbers 6 and at the other end by a suitable upright framework 9. On the sills 7 l suitably mount a bearing frame l0 comprising spaced upright members connected at their top by a cross brace l1 and having journals 12 below this in which a shaft 13 turns with its ends projecting at each side of the frame and having fast thereon upper chains V pass to the lower' sprockets 16 which arel fast on a shaft 17 journaled in bearings 18 near thebase of the frame members. VIn bearings 19 on the front side of the frame l mount a driving shaft 20 having a l small pinion 21 fast thereon and adapted to meshwith a larOe chain driving pinion 22 fast on the shaftr 11 between the frame members'. The shaft 20 at its outer end is supported in-a bearing 23 on the sills 7 adgacent to kwhich `bearing is a largegear wheel 24 fast on the shaft and meshing with a small kvrear slide rod 32 and are disposed to receive between Ythem theV belt and to shift Y the latter from the tight tothe loose pulley and vice versa. Y0n the forward slide 32 l shoe 38 pivotally connected to a bracket 39 the follower is in theV press boX. Theffolfast in any suitable manner to its respective gear 25 on the main driving shaft 26 which turns in vbearings 27 mounted on the sills 7. On its outboardfend this shaft 26 has a tight pulley 28and a 'loose pulley 29 IIlOllI'Gd mount a spring camV 37j adapted to move under and yieldingly engage a hinged brake on one of the sills 7 f VThe brake shoe is positioned under the tight pulley and by gravity will drop below and clear this' pulley and its driving belt when workingV thereon. As the kslides 32 are moved to shift the belt onto the loose pulley the spring cam 37; engages under and raises the brake shoe38 sufficiently to bring it into frictional engagement with the tight pulley immediately after thev belt has passed off from the latter onto the loose-pulley. I thus utilize the tight pulley as the brake drum and apply the braking power at the point where the maximum effect is obtainable therefrom due to the various transmissions, lso that the transfer Y can be stopped andheld in any position with f' 50 l.

the least expenditure of energy.

Y The transfer follower 40, which is V,of any suitableV type, is adapted to reciprocate into and out of the press boX and carries with it on the side yadjacent to the feed chute an ordinary shield 41 to close the latter when lower; is also provided with bearing brackets 42 in which the lower ends of the pitmen43 are pivoted, these pitmen being connected at their upper ends to pins 44, each made chains 15 at corresponding points so as to be Y rotatable therewith and thereby toreciprocate the follower.r The follower is also provided with guide rods 45 rigidlyconnected thereto and working in guides 46 made fast to cross members 47 on the sills 7.

A vertical apron 48 is suitably mounted above the press boX on the side opposite toy the feed chute 3, see Fig. 7 this apron being suitably attached to a sill 7 v and being adapted to stop and turn back into the press boX the cotton that would otherwise be.Y

chute and rotatably journaled in the side walls thereof. Each roll is preferably providedwith four equi-distantly spaced longitudinal blades, the blades 52 on the roll 50 being wider than the blades 53; on the roll- 51. As will be observed by reference to'Fig. 7 the smaller roll 51 is set lower and in front of the larger roll 50 and works with its blades traveling in close proximity to and upwardly overY a bottom concave 54 formed at the lower end of the feed chute. The two rolls vare preferably set so that the circles circumscribed by their blades will intersect or closely approach the gplane of the open end of the Vfeed chute. y A gear-55 fast` on the shaft of roll 50 is driven by a chain' 56 from an overhead-sprocket 57 loose on the main driving shaft 58 of the feed mechanism and adapted to be coupled to the latter shaft by a clutch`59 (see Fig. v3) under control of a clutch shifting arm 6G on an overhead shaft 61 mounted to turn in bearings 62 on the rear silly 7 and having fast thereon a depending trip arm 63, the lower end of which is elongated and terminates inV v an outwardly flaring wedge tip 64 which is disposed inthe path of a wedge block 65 on theadjacent end of the follower 40. Near its upper end, the triparm 63 is provided with an out-turned arm 66 at right angles kthereto and provided with an adjustable counterweight 67 which tends to rock the arm 63 into its full line position Fig. 3 with A the clutch open, whereas the wedge block 65, kduring the travel of the'follower above the press boX' will throw the trip arm and hold it in its dotted line position, VF ig. 3,A with the clutchthrown in. Power is transmittedv to the roll 51 Vfrom the roll 50 by the mechay nism show in Fig. 8 comprisingasprocket gear 68 fast .on the shaft of rou 5o. which f drives a chain 69 passing overv a sprocket gear 70 fast on the shaft of the smaller roll 51,'whence the chain passes about an idler vdirections of rotation, the roll 50 turning counter-clockwise while they roll 51 turns clockwise and the gearing is -so designed that the blades of the two rolls will have substantially the'same'peripheral speeds,this

making it necessary for the smaller roll to have a higher number of revolutions per minute than the roll 50. This is provided for in the differential between the gears 68 and 70. The main driving shaft 58 for the feed mechanism derives, its power from the pulley 72 drivenv from a belt 73 by any suitable source of power.

In operation, assuming that the press box is empty and that the follower is held at its extreme upper position, as seen in Fig. l, by the engagement of the brake shoe 38 with the tight pulley 28, the tramper is started into operation by reversing the lever 35, thereby releasing the brake from the tight pulley 9,8 as the driving belt is shifted thereonto from the loose pulley 29, whereupon the chains` 15 are driven and the follower commences to descend. Meanwhile the wedge 65 on the follower will throw the clutch 59 on the feed shaft into mesh and the feeding rolls will be driven until the wedge 65 clears the trip arm 63 and the counterweight on the latter opens the clutch. This takes place as the follower enters the press box and the feed rolls are inactive during the travel of the follower in the press chains .15 driving the pitmen 43.

box which is caused by the action of the As the follower' descends with the chains the cotton is pressed until the point of attachment of the pitinen to the chains has passed under the lower sprockets 16, whereuponthe upward travel of the pitmen will raise the follower until it rises out of the press box, whereupon the wedge G5 will again engage the arm 63 and throw in the clutch causing the feed mechanism to resume operation f while the follower completes its up travel and again approaches the press box on its" The drive to operate the' .tramper follower is continuous and is normally not interrupted until the bale has been f down travel.

pressed.

The action of the two feed rollers on the cotton which has accumulated in the lint slide and in the feedl chute is such as to throw the cotton without breaking the'bat through a path substantially illustrated by the arrow in Fig. 7 and it being obvious that the rolls when first started work with an accumulated mass of cotton the latter is thrown a greater distance than in the case of the normal feed of lint down the slide. Moreover, just as the feed rolls are stopped the last cotton is fed in close to the feed chute with the result that a practically uniform layer of cotton is distributed over the press box so that a uniform bale is produced with substantially even layers. As the tips of the blades 52 and 53 will have substantially the same peripheral speed and as they are spaced so as not to come in contact, it

will be apparent there will be no tendency to break the bat but that the action of the ordinary .vision of a special brake.

lVhile I have shownthe feed rolls as the wooden roll with the lblades formed of angle metal strips attached thereto, it will be understood that any rsuitable type of rotatable support for the radially disposed and equi-distantly spaced blades 52 or 53 may be utilized. It shouldA also be understood that I do not intend to limit my` self to the exact position of the feed rolls 50 and 51 but have shown that from each I have derived the most satisfactory results.

This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments shown, but contemplates such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the claims. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Iletters Patent, is

1. In a press of the character described, a press box, a follower reciprocable thereinto, means to drive continuously during the baling operation the follower, a feed chute, reversely rotating bladed feeder elements disposed adjacent to the discharge end of the feed chute and rotatable in a direction to throw the material to be pressed into the press box, and automatic means to interruiit the rotation of said elements when the followeris in the press box.

2. In a press of the character described, the combination of a press box, a follower reciprocable thereinto, means to drive the follower continuously during the baling operation, a feed chute, an intermittent feed mechanism automatically controlled by the movements of the follower and comprising a pair of reversely driven rotatable bladed elements disposed in the lower portion of the discharge end of the feed chute, and means to drive said elements in a direction to throw material from the feed chute into and distribute it across the press box.

3. In a press of the character described, Y

the feed chute, and means to drive said elements in a direction to throw material in y an unbroken bat from the feed chute across the 'press box, said elements being of dif- "ferent diameters with the upper element larger than and'disposed farther in the feed n chute than the smaller element. .Y

v*ent diameters with the smaller element disposed near the bottom end of the discharge opening of the feed chute and adapted to rotate clockwise, and the larger element being disposed above and spaced from the smaller element andv adapted to Voperate counter-clockwise, Vand suitable driving mechanism for driving said elements in their respective directions at differential y speeds. f

5. In a press ofthe character described, a press box, a follower reciprocable thereinto, mechanism for continuously driving said follower during theY pressing operation, a

feed chute and feed mechanism intermitf tently operable and automatically controlled by the follower to operate when the lattery is -withdrawn from the press box, said feed. mechanism comprising a pair of rotatable bladedk elements 'disposed at the discharge end of the chute,V said elements being of different diameters with the smaller element disposed near theybottom end of the discharge opening of the feed chute and adapted to rotate clockwise, and the larger element being disposed Vabove and spaced from the smaller element and adapted to operate Y counter-clockwise, andl suitable driving mechanism for driving said elements 1n ltheir respective 4directions at differential yspeeds whichwill produce substantially the sameA peripheral speeds for the blade edges.

6. In a press of the character described, a tramper mechanism comprising a main driving shaft with tight and loose pulleys thereon, speedreducing gearing driven by' said tight pulleyV and adapted to operate theV tramper, a driving belt adapted to engage one or the other of said pulleys, a brake shoe adapted to engage the tight pulley asV ay brake Y wheel and a belt shifter mechanism'adapted simultaneously to force the brake shoe intoV engagement with the tight pulley as itshifts the belt therefrom onto the Yloose pulley.

7. In a press of the character described, a tramper mechanism, a main power shaft therefor, tight and loose pulleys thereon,`

speed reducing gearing driven byvsaid'tight pulley and adapted'to operate thetramper,

a driving belt, a'sliding element to shift the belt from one tothe other pulley, a brake shoe adapted to move into engagement with the tight pulley, as a brake wheel and a yieldable member on said sliding element adapted to force the brake shoe againstthe tight pulley as it shifts onto the loose pulley.

8. In a press of the character described, a.

press box,ra follower, mechanism for reciprocating the follower, a feed chute and mechanism for feedingfmaterial from the chute into the press boxy comprising fast spinning spaced bladed elements adapted to throw thematerial across and distribute it in the press box. n Y

9. In a cotton press, a press box, a follower, mechanism fo'r reciprocating the follower, a feed chute and mechanism for feeding the cotton into thepress box comprising spaced fast spinning reversely rotatabler bladed yrolls adapted to coperate in throwing the cotton bat unbroken across the press box,-and a stationary apron above the press box-disposed to prevent the bat being thrown over ythe press andito Vcause that nwhich engages it to fall back into and distribute itself'overfthe press box.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature.

Y EUGENE MIINGER.

,Witnessz' i Y Noi/rin WELSH. 

